In processing digitally encoded images, particularly those derived from an image scanning device, it is often desirable to provide editing functionality. Accordingly, for example, in combination with an electronic publishing system, in which it may be desirable to manipulate a digital image for use on a page of text, various editing functions might be applied. An assortment of editing functions are available, including but not limited to scaling and magnification or reduction, blanking, the addition of information, highlighting, etc. These functions are difficult to implement in known scanning devices, or other image manipulation arrangements, because for image manipulation the information must be stored, for example, in a page at a time format for manipulation. Thus, image information is not usually manipulated or subject to editing functions as it is initially scanned from an original into electronic form. This capability, i.e., editing functionality in association with an image scanning device, would significantly enhance speed of information handling, and reduce information storage requirements in a device having such a capability.
A variety of image information is desirably added to original image information. Someties new image information replaces original image information, while at other times it is desirable to merge new image information with the original image information. Thus, for example, it may be desirable to replace a portion of the original image with a time, status or date stamp, or new image information obtained from another source. Alternatively, merging image information may be desirable for example, when a portion of the image is desirably highlighted with a darkened or lightened background.
In combination with the addition of new image information, and, in cases without the addition of new image information, it is often desirable to vary or edit the original image to change position of certain portions of the image, to reverse the image appearance dark for light, to mirror the image etc.
US-A 4,255,766 to Matsuda et al. suggest the desirability of the addition of time or date information to stored fascimile images. In performing the addition of the information, the Matsuda et al device counts pixels and scan lines, to determine position. When a selected position, as determined by the counted pixels and scan lines is reached, the stored information is superposed onto the information.
US-A 4,270,146 to Adachi suggests an arrangement for the addition of identification information in facsimile apparatus, wherein an area of interest for addition of information is identified by fast and slow scan address counters, which measure the position of information from the scanning device on a sheet, and upon reaching an area of interest for the substitution of information, discards information from the scanning device, and substitutes new information.
Of collateral interest are US-A 4,575,717 to Fedele relating to supplying an increased amount of pixel information in a video arrangement; US-A 4,447,809 to Kodama et al. suggesting storage of predetermined information in addresses corresponding to the picture elements in a video system where edges are present, including a counter which determines which address is read; US-A 3,925,776 and US-A 3,944,997, both to Swallow, relating to a video system receiving image generator edges for storage in an edge memory, which are decoded into scan line segments, defined partially by position (x, y) coordinates on a screen display; US-A 4,580,158 to Macheboeuf suggests a video signal combining system for combining predetermined portions of a pair of video signals representing different portions of a final image; US-A 4,613,906 to Tanaka which suggests a video picture combining apparatus using first background image and a second superimposed image to produce a combined output image. US-A 3,911,418 to Takeda shows a video system combining a foreground character display with background colors; and US-A 4,646,250 to Childress suggests highlighting a portion of an interactive video display for the purpose of prompting responses. The comparison of video (television) information to image scanning, as for example, facsimile, is difficult, because of the speed and quantity differences in which information is handled. A result is that microprocessors can generally only be used to set up the image processing operations, as opposed to perform them, because they cannot economically approach the speeds of data handling required.
The following are incorporated by reference as illustrative of the state of the art in image manipulation: US-A 4,442,544 to Moreland et al, showing an adaptive thresholding technique; US-A 4,194,221 describing detection of data format, and processing to accommodate the format for optimum handling; US-A 4,275,450 to Potter, describing magnification and reduction apparatus; US-A 4,674,040 to Barker et al. showing merging a portion of one document into another; US-A 4,667,248 to Kanno describing electronic paste-up of images; US-A 4,302,782 to Gunning et al. describing electronic precollation and image centering and edge fadeout; Xerox Disclosure Journal, Volume 9, No. 1, January/February 1984, Implementation Technique for Magnification, Reduction, and Windowing of Electronic Images; Xerox Disclosure Journal, Volume 7, No. 3, May/June, 1982, Window/Image Cropping; Xerox Disclosure Journal Volume 7, No. 1, January/February 1982, Automatic Gain Control for Image Input Module describing pixel correction; Xerox Disclosure Journal, Volume 5, No. 6, November/December, 1980, Image Scaling Using Bit Throw-Away Memory; and Fundamentals of Digital Copiers, Revision 1, Publication No. FY8-1339010, Canon Inc., October 1984, describing thresholding, screening black/white inversion, framing, blanking, image rotation.